Fortnite is officially adding Marvel's Blade the vampire hunter to its character lineup. The character was teased earlier this week by both Fortnite and Marvel Entertainment on Twitter. He joins an ever-expanding cast of Marvel heroes populating the world-famous battle royale game as part of its recent season 4 update, which tasks players with defeating the infamous Galactus.
Season 4 has been a very eventful time both in and out of Fortnite. Outside of the game, the ongoing legal battle between Epic and Apple has made the new superhero content harder to access for Mac and iOS players. For everyone else, though, the new season has been a blast, constantly throwing in more and more beloved Marvel characters for players to meet and even fight. As if that weren't enough, a recent customizable outfit let players design their own superhero to dress up as during their adventures across the island.
If players aren't interested in creating their own costumed vigilante, they can borrow the duds of an established hero instead. As reported by the official Fortnite website, the legendary vampire hunter is now available as a cosmetic in Fortnite. Players can either purchase the Blade Outfit or the Blade Bundle from Fortnite's item shop. The outfit comes with the Sword of the Daywalker, which is available both as a pickaxe and a piece of Back Bling and can be sheathed on the player's back if they own both. The Dayflier Glider is also being added to the game, joining the recent X-Wing glider in giving players exciting new ways to fly into battle. Also available is an emote called the Daywalker's Kata, which gives Blade a chance to show off his impressive martial arts moves.
Blade's inclusion as a player cosmetic and not as a quest-relevant NPC is an interesting choice, but not necessarily a bad one. While he's a well-loved character, he's not quite as instantly recognizable as heroes like Thor or Iron Man. Additionally, his focus on supernatural monsters like vampires and the undead means he might not have as much to do in a story focused on Galactus the planet-eater. Giving fans the chance to play as him is a good way to represent the character without struggling to make him work in the season's overarching storyline.
It's a good time to get interested in Blade; the character is slated to appear in the MCU, played by Mahershala Ali. The original trilogy of films will be appearing on Hulu next month, giving players a chance to brush up on the exploits of the legendary half-vampire before Ali's debut. Blade's presence in Fortnite is another solid way to drum up excitement for the character, and it's yet another excellent addition to a solid season of super-powered Fortnite content.
Source: Fortnite